


The Sweater

by MashiarasDream



Category: Captain America (Movies), Luke Cage (TV)
Genre: Bucky and Claire find it amusing, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Steve and Luke are too polite for their own good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-10-31
Packaged: 2018-08-28 05:10:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8433052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MashiarasDream/pseuds/MashiarasDream
Summary: Luke Cage and Steve Rogers have the same taste in sweaters, it seems. Too bad that there’s only one light-grey v-neck sweater left at the store.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ViviTargaryen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViviTargaryen/gifts).



> Based on a tumblr post that ViviTargaryen found.  
> Thanks for betaing to stjarna, ViviTargaryen and Alyeen1!

“No, please, you’ve been here first,” Steve says politely.

“No, man, you found it before me.”

Bucky watches with interest as the black guy hands the light grey sweater back to Steve.

“No, I’m sure it compliments you much better than me,” Steve says. 

Bucky tries to stifle his chuckle behind his hand as Steve all but shoves the fabric at the other guy’s chest. Only then does he notice the woman that is watching him with interest and possibly a bit of admonishment at his laughter.

“Hi,” Bucky waves at her, careful to use his flesh hand and keep the other one hidden in his hoodie. “He yours?” He nods towards the black guy.

The woman’s eyebrows rise. “You saying the other one is yours?”

Bucky shrugs, tries to make it sound nonchalant but knows that his cheeks still flush, “Much as he’s ever going to be anyone’s.”

The woman looks at him curiously but at least her face doesn’t change to disgust. Bucky’s still not quite used to that. To being able to say it out loud that Steve’s his best guy without running much risk of getting beaten up for it. Not that many people would be able to beat them up. But the point stands.

The woman looks back at Steve who is still politely debating the potential ownership of the last light grey v-neck sweater. “I admit that it is a very complimentary color on any skin tone and also very fashionable this year. I mean, it is the last of its kind for a reason. But please, that doesn’t indicate that I should have it.”

The black guy shakes his head, as if everything Steve had said to him had stopped making sense.

Bucky rolls his eyes. “Those two have found each other. This can go on for a while.”

The woman nods, though there’s a fond smile on her face, like even with the inconvenience, she approves of the way this is being handled. But then Steve starts talking again, voice a little bit lower now, more determination in it as he hands back the sweater yet again. And suddenly the woman’s face changes, her eyes narrowing and a frown appearing on her forehead.

Bucky wants to duck and cover because he knows that look and he isn’t sure he can deal with this today. He hides his metal hand a little deeper in his pocket. Not that it will make any difference after she’s already recognized Steve. They all know, then, Steve’s insistence on saving the Winter Soldier is the tale of the century after all. And while no one dares to say that they disagree with Steve to his face, no one wants to be near the Russian assassin.

But the woman surprises him by closing the last few steps towards him and stretching out her hand. “I’m Claire. Claire Temple. You are Bucky Barnes I assume?”

Okay. That is new. Fawning over Steve even in Bucky’s presence, yeah, that happens. But approaching him like he’s just a person? That’s new. “Yeah, that’s me,” Bucky says and carefully shakes Claire’s hand.

“No really, if your last sweater got destroyed, you should _definitely_ have this one,” Steve insists. His voice is close to what Bucky secretly calls his bedroom voice, even though it might also be called his Avengers voice. Still polite, still friendly, but with an edge to it that means he expects that his lead will be followed.

Not that the guy does Steve the favor. “Well, it’s just a few bullet-holes. Nothing that can’t be mended.”

This time, it’s Claire who bites back something between a groan and a chuckle. It stirs something in Bucky’s memory. He’s not all up-to-date with his powered humans knowledge, in fact, he has pretty much adopted Bruce’s stance of staying as far away from them as possible. It’s just so much better for his sanity. Not really a feasible approach, though, considering his job and his affiliation with Captain America, but he definitely tries. Still, he remembers this one. “He’s the dude from the news, isn’t he? Harlem?”

Claire gives him a cautious look and then nods. Like she expects him to jump the indestructible guy any second.

Bucky holds his hands out in front of him in an appeasing gesture, noticing that he’s taken the metal hand out of its pocket after all only after the fact. “He’s politer than the news made him seem.”

That gets him a strangled laugh, which Bucky takes as a good sign. 

“So are you, if you don’t mind me saying. As for him, he’s just a bulletproof teddy-bear.” The same fond smile is back on her face when she looks at him.

Bucky smiles, too, then, because it’s the same look that he catches Steve giving him every so often. And that he’s pretty sure he’s directing at Steve too often to go unnoticed as well. “Well, there you have the difference between us. Pretty sure no one ever accused me of being a teddy-bear, not even Steve.” It comes out almost lighthearted. “So, you and Mister Indestructible, huh?” He tries to remember whether the woman has any powers as well, but comes up empty.

“His name is Luke. And let’s just say we’re having coffee together regularly.”

The smile going with that is more of a smirk, so while Bucky has no idea what it means, he figures it safer to reply, “Umm, I don’t think I want to ask. It’s been 70 years or so since I had opportunity to eat box lunch at the Y. And I intend to keep it that way.”

“What?” Claire frowns in confusion.

“Never mind,” Bucky shakes his head. “You like the sweater?”

Claire looks over to where their significant others are now apparently discussing the benefits of v-necks. “It is a nice sweater,” she admits. “And there is no way to mend that other one, whatever Luke says. There were machine guns involved.”

Bucky nods wistfully. Machine gun fire and fabric don’t mesh. “Alright then, that decides it.” He nods once more, determined, walks up to the two men, takes the sweater sleeve Steve’s still holding onto out of his hand, turns to Luke, and says, “Claire likes the sweater, so try it on already!” As an afterthought, he adds, “But no coffee in the changing rooms!”

Both Steve and Luke seem stunned into silence by this, which at least ends the continuous handing the sweater back and forth.

“Come on, punk, you look better in baby blues anyway,” Bucky grins his best shit-eating grin and then stretches up to plant a kiss on Steve’s mouth. “Want to go get some coffee?”

**Author's Note:**

> In case you were wondering: "Box lunch at the Y" is a 1940s slang term for cunnilingus. ;) The more you know...


End file.
